Real Madrid forward Arda Guler on Tuesday night joined an exclusive club shared only by two Manchester United legends, as Turkey defeated Austria at Euro 2024.
Turkey progressed to the quarter-final of the tournament with goals from Merih Demiral – the defender’s first after 57 seconds was the quickest goal in the history of the European Championship knockout stages enough for Turkey.
Despite Austria fighting back and scoring a goal for themselves in the 66th minute, Turkey held on to an historical win.
Real Madrid forward Guler played an important role in Turkey’s triumph by delivering two pinpoint corners that Austria struggled to defend.
Arda Gueler of Turkey looks on during the UEFA EURO 2024 round of 16 match between Austria and Turkiye (Photo by Marvin Ibo Guengoer – GES Sportfoto/Getty Images)
These corners led to both of his team’s goals. He assisted Demiral’s finish in the 59th minute.
Guler in the process became only the third teenager to both score and assist in the same edition of a European Championship, joining the ranks of Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Real Madrid forward found the back of the net at Euro 2024 spectacularly in Turkey’s 3-1 victory over Georgia, 20 years after both Ronaldo and Rooney set their records at Euro 2004.
Turkey will be eager to continue their impressive performance when they face the Netherlands in Berlin on Saturday evening. A win for them will pave way for a semi-final matchup against either England or Switzerland.
